Decent tablet for under $500? - Page 3

04Stefan07 (Stefan) · #41 12-11-2013, 05:33 PM

Do you know which one you are leaning more towards?

MortonH · #42 12-11-2013, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 04Stefan07

Do you know which one you are leaning more towards?

Possibly a refurbished iPad 4th gen (9.7" Retina and A6 chip)

Brettstar6754 · #43 12-11-2013, 09:39 PM

Can I just ask which tablet is best for GPS mapping.
For 4wd in remote meteorite strewn fields. Hema compatible or oz exp.

MortonH · #44 22-12-2013, 06:25 PM

Resurrecting this thread...

Haven't bought anything yet as I'm debating the compromises involved in every available option. Big dilemma over screen size. 7" definitely too small for me. 8" perfect for portability but 10" would be better in many cases (magazines, etc).

I've been considering one of the Asus Transformer Pads with Android. There are some reasonably cheap refurbished models, and I like the idea of the keyboard dock, but the tablet itself is on the heavy side (similar to iPad 3 & 4).

Another strong contender is the Sony Xperia Z 10.1. I like the water resistance since I wouldn't have to worry about dew if I used it in the field. If it drops in price after Christmas it might be hard to resist.

However, despite the variety of Android offerings, I keep coming back to the iPad Air. But $699 for the 32GB model is a bit steep.

Maybe I need to wait until the Air starts appearing in the refurbished section of the store. Patience not one of my virtues though...

Wavytone · #45 22-12-2013, 07:05 PM

Morton there are quite a few places online still offering iPad3 under $500, depending a bit on which model you want (wifi or 3G, and storage).

Were still using iPads 2 and 3 at home, no reason to update. But if buying new, yes I think an iPad Air is top of the pile.

dannat (Daniel) · #46 22-12-2013, 07:31 PM

Have had all three OS, here are some thoughts:
8" is the size for me, 7 too small & 10 too big
Android needs good hardware to run fast/well, others require less
Windows store is rubbish, Apple the best , android reasonable

I now have a full win8 tab, the RT are to be avoided.
It has a micro to USB adapter, can install any windows program - windows 8 for me runs fairly well, I can't complain about it.
The touch interface isn't as nice as IOS (for eg I have a problem zooming on stellarium-means I have to call up full screen keyboard )

Apple for me have gone away from there roots-constant updates, large downloads (iTunes used to be 50-70mb, now +200)
Apple used to just work, increasingly I am frustrated by it-windows 8 seems good, and windows 8phone is quite good.

Android often needs a custom install to get rid of company bloated-Samsung are bad but they all do it-the generic ones can be underpowered as android can be thirsty for a decent engine under the hood-the free play store apps are a big plus (eg data free navigation apps)

MortonH · #47 22-12-2013, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wavytone

Morton there are quite a few places online still offering iPad3 under $500, depending a bit on which model you want (wifi or 3G, and storage).

Were still using iPads 2 and 3 at home, no reason to update. But if buying new, yes I think an iPad Air is top of the pile.

Yeah, a few weeks back there was 4th gen refurb on the Apple store for $449, 16GB wifi only. Presumably the 32GB wifi model would be around $500 so I'm keeping an eye out.

AG Hybrid (Adrian) · #48 22-12-2013, 09:36 PM

What about the Nexus 10? Did anyone mention the Nexus 10? Can I mention the Nexus 10? OK, I'll mention the Nexus 10.
Check out the Nexus 10.

Nexus.

10.

absolut (Rob) · #49 22-12-2013, 10:14 PM

I'm with Adrian...

Plus...

http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/google-n...ndroid-tablet/
$399 Nexus 10 right now...

If I hadn't just had my pc's video card die this weekend, I'd be ordering one of those right now!!... That and I'm waiting for the orion/starseek android version to be finished...

Pre Christmas or post new year sales will be your best bet for new hardware Morton.

Happy shopping!

MortonH · #50 23-12-2013, 12:22 AM

Unfortunately that Kogan deal*for the Nexus 10 is the 16GB model and they don't take expansion cards. the 32GB model was only $429 but is sold out :-(

Camelopardalis (Dunk) · #51 23-12-2013, 07:39 PM

JB claim to have the 16gb for $448.... but it's the weight of an old iPhone heavier than Air

killswitch (Edison) · #52 23-12-2013, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MortonH

Unfortunately that Kogan deal*for the Nexus 10 is the 16GB model and they don't take expansion cards. the 32GB model was only $429 but is sold out :-(

I bought one of these to solve my storage issue with the nexus 7. Its cheap and tiny, not much bigger than the microSD you put in it.

MortonH · #53 23-12-2013, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killswitch

I bought one of these to solve my storage issue with the nexus 7. Its cheap and tiny, not much bigger than the microSD you put in it.

What a cool accessory. Thanks.

absolut (Rob) · #54 24-12-2013, 05:26 PM

Update: Kogan has the Nexus 10 (16GB) for $329 with free delivery...

Camelopardalis (Dunk) · #55 24-12-2013, 07:58 PM

Deleted by me.

MortonH · #56 24-12-2013, 08:09 PM

No scope control required for me. I'm alt-az and push-to.

MortonH · #57 24-12-2013, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by absolut

Update: Kogan has the Nexus 10 (16GB) for $329 with free delivery...

Tempting, but will wait till all the sales kick off.

04Stefan07 (Stefan) · #58 24-12-2013, 10:20 PM

Surface RT 32GB is down to $223 again at JB.

AG Hybrid (Adrian) · #59 25-12-2013, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 04Stefan07

Surface RT 32GB is down to $223 again at JB.

That's because its a Microsoft Surface.

MortonH · #60 31-12-2013, 01:12 PM

Ended up buying a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1" as my money was running low. Got it for $290 at Bing Lee and added a 32GB card for extra capacity.

It's a bit underpowered (only dual core) but fine for what I need. Works well for e-mags and books so I'll taking it on my forthcoming work trip to India. Stellarium looks very nice on it too.